There was essentially one scene in this movie that summed up the entire ordeal better than the two hours of Cheadle's camera mugging. The bodies laying strewn about the road side when the fog lifted. That's it. The rest of the screenplay was fairly safe and dumbed down for the masses to enjoy. I see many 5-star reviewers tossing out comparisons to "Schindler's List". Good heavens, both films deal with mass murder. That is where the similarities end. For starters, Nick Nolte is horribly mis-cast as the U.N. commander. He stumbles through his lines like a drunkard and his attempts at anger become cartoonish. There is a constant anti-white theme throughout the film as well that I found irritating. I understand this is Cheadles thing now...cough Crash cough...The only white cast member not displayed as a rich, callous, and soul-less blob is the woman working for the Red Cross. Nolte's little speech about Africans made to Cheadle is laughable and seems like it was tossed in just in case the average viewer had missed the obvious agenda.
In closing, the Rwandan genocide was obviously a terrible period in world history. However, I don't need to sit and watch a movie which, for two hours, attempts to make the American and British governments look bad. When large countries get involved in affairs they are considered bullies and "global policeman." When they do not get involved they are considered callous and heartless. Can't have it both ways there folks, but I guess people like to reserve the right to complain no matter what politicians do. |